


A Christmas Wish

by badboy_fangirl



Category: Prison Break
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 14:18:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7175375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badboy_fangirl/pseuds/badboy_fangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>LJ contemplates his Christmases.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Christmas Wish

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for seasons 1 and 2.

**I – 2001**  
LJ remembers the first Christmas his dad was in jail. Every other time he’d been in jail wasn’t at Christmastime, that’s why he remembers it so well. But the year Terrence Steadman died LJ was 12, and his dad was in jail, awaiting trial.

 

 **II – 2002**  
By the next Christmas, LJ was 13, angry, fatherless, and spent a great deal of time convincing himself he didn’t care that his dad was in jail on Christmas. Only now his dad wasn’t in jail, he was in Prison. And he was sentenced to death. There were appeals, his mother said, but her eyes were dull when she said it and LJ knew better than to get his hopes up. On Christmas Day night, he climbed out on the roof of his stepfather’s nice suburban home and he felt icy tears against his cheeks as the snow started to drift down from the heavens. He wished right then that he could spend Christmas with his dad, even if it meant he had to go to Fox River Penitentiary and sit in a room full of bad guys.

 

 **III – 2003**  
On Christmas Eve, Uncle Mike came over and asked LJ if he wanted to go with him the next day to see Lincoln. LJ really wanted to, but he said no. He hadn’t seen his dad in a long time, and Lincoln had just lost his last appeal. LJ didn’t want to see him and cry, and he was afraid that’s all he would do.

 

 **IV – 2004**  
On Christmas Day, Uncle Mike came and took LJ out. They spent the day together, and remembered things about Christmases past, when Lincoln had been around and they had all been together and those days weren’t really that much better, but in comparison, they seemed like paradise lost. When Uncle Mike said, “Next year is going to be a hard year, LJ,” LJ remembers nodding, thinking all his uncle meant was his dad would really be dead by this time next year. He had no idea everyone’s life was about to change when Uncle Mike held up a bank a little over three months later.

 

 **V - 2005**  
When they were walking on the side of the road, in the hot sun, and his dad mentioned Panama, LJ said, “We’ll be in the tropics for Christmas. That will be weird, huh?”

His father had agreed, and then said, “But we’ll be together.” Four words never brought such joy, ever before in his life, LJ decided.

As Jane and LJ drive away from his dad and granddad, he looks out the window and feels that dream of a Christmas with his dad slip away. Two days later, they’re at a hide out and Jane is slowly plying him with questions so that he will talk, because otherwise he just sits there and worries. “What do you want more than anything, right now?” she finally asks when his short mono-syllable answers get too trying.

“Christmas, with my dad,” he says, not even an ounce of hesitation in the response.

“LJ,” she says, leaning forward so their eyes meet firmly. “I promise you, the only way you won’t have Christmas this year with your dad is over my dead body. Deal?”

He can’t help the smile that cracks his face. Jane is tough, and cool, and sweet in her own way. When she says something, he believes it, and it’s been a while since he’s had an adult around he totally trusted. His dad and his uncle had made it pretty impossible to think anyone would be around long term.

“Deal,” he says, shaking Jane’s outstretched hand. He knew he didn’t want to see the result of her promise not working out, but the fact that she bothered to make a promise held its own kind of magic.


End file.
